


Speeches and Letters

by LadyBrooke



Category: The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Epistolary, Gen, In-Universe Meta
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-23
Updated: 2018-03-23
Packaged: 2019-04-04 20:19:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,174
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14027988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyBrooke/pseuds/LadyBrooke
Summary: Before the Dwarves joined the Union of Maedhros, there was debate among the Dwarves of Belegost.Fingon manages to obtain the text of one speech and sends it to his cousin.





	Speeches and Letters

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Burning_Nightingale](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Burning_Nightingale/gifts).



**F.A. 471**

To Maedhros, Lord of Himring

Maitimo,

Have stories reached you of the speech given in Azaghâl’s court by one of his lords? I would be almost jealous of your ability to convince the dwarves of anything if I was not half convinced they are just as motivated by distrust of the Sindar as they are by your words. Now, if they were speaking of your father or Makalaurë, I would believe they had motivated the dwarves without any influence from other factors.

Were you aware of the cause of the distrust prior to this? I asked Finrod about the Petty-dwarves once when he came to court and he said that they were largely ignored by the other dwarves and were criminals exiled for their crimes. It seems that he perhaps didn’t have the whole story, or at least that these Dwarves believe their eventual fate was far beyond anything deserved for their crimes. Perhaps it was merely that they were a group of Dwarves, though that is clearly different from us elves - Thingol would likely starve us if we entered his lands and he could hold us captive. Merely keeping trade going is the work of half our diplomats, and if it wasn't for Orodreth, it would likely be all of them.

I have enclosed a copy of the speech, in case you have not heard of it. Give my wishes to your brothers, and keep me informed of any changes in the forces for the battle.

Findekáno

 

 

**The Speech of Imlzi, Lesser Lord of Belegost, during the debates on the Nirnaeth Arnoediad**

Thingol is a fool, to think that he can suggest all refrain from assisting in the battle and not be judged for it by those who lost our kin to the actions of his people. For which Dwarves among us do not know the tale of how our kin were slaughtered by the Sindar, who believed the Petty-dwarves to be naught but animals, and therefore used them for food?

Does Thingol alone in his caves think that ignorance is an excuse? That we should forgive his people and never demand any recompense for his actions, but support him when he calls for the Noldor to be forgotten and left to fight Morgoth alone because they slew his kin or because of the deeds of two individual elves? What difference does it make if his people were killed for the sake of a jewel and the dead while ours were killed due to ignorance? Both are dead, and when Thingol’s kin are reborn, they will be reborn along with their other dead loved ones. Durin alone among our kin shall be reborn, and he will only be reborn for a time after his loved ones are dead. His daughter still lives with her husband, and Thingol is the one who instructed them to steal a jewel that was not theirs.

The Lord of Himring, Maedhros, Son of Fëanor, saved our lord upon the Dwarf-road. When have the Lords of the Sindar saved our kin? They remain in their lands, with no regard for what occurs outside of their borders, and rely on the goodwill of those who do to keep them safe. Do any among us believe that the Witch-Queen’s girdle will hold if Morgoth turns his full attention towards her works? Nay, but they do not face that attention, for Morgoth’s attention is held with the blood of our kin and the blood of our other allies.

It is possible that Morgoth cannot be defeated by us, even if Thingol agreed to leave his halls and bring his soldiers to battle with us. But we are Dwarves. We do not shy from battle because the odds are long. We run towards battle, even those that look unwinnable, so long as our foes are evil – and none among us would deny that Morgoth is such. We must run towards this battle, and we must fight alongside those that are disgraced, not because their deeds are excusable, but because their cause is just.

 

 

**F.A. 471**

Letter to Fingon, High King of the Noldor

Cousin,

Thank you for the copy of the speech. I had heard of it, but not of what was said.

If you thought to be jealous of my ability to convince people to do things, you clearly have not paid attention to my persistent failures to convince my brothers of anything. Curufin is still arguing with me, even though his prior plans have managed to lose us the goodwill of two of our needed allies. He will not be stayed by anything if he believes his plans are even half as good, and the rest of my brothers are little better.

As for the Dwarves, my little research – and here I know you are laughing, so I will confess that it is all Caranthir’s work, he does better talking with the Dwarves than I do - but Caranthir says that they have a hatred of Morgoth and evil and consider it their duty to take part in battle against him, no matter what they think of the people they are fighting alongside.

When I asked him about the incident with the Petty-dwarves, he claimed that it is seldom spoken of, but appears to have become more of an issue recently. Apparently some of the younger dwarves feel that Thingol has never bothered to repay the loss of their distant kin and they wish to hold some of the items Thingol has requested in trade until they feel they have the proper recompense for what occurred. While I have no wish to become involved in the debate, I can admit this seems likely to benefit us more than it does Thingol. I am glad the Dwarves will fight alongside us, for they are valuable allies.

Azaghâl especially remains one of the better commanders I have seen in these lands. His people are loyal to him, and I do not doubt that they would remain on the battlefield in the face of grave danger. While he is not one of the dwarves that feel Thingol needs to repay them more for the loss of their kin, he is not as closely allied with Thingol as some of the other dwarves who trade with the Sindar have been. He also believes that he owes my house for my rescue of him, which is why he has allied as closely with us as he has – if Orodreth had saved him, we would be having an entirely different conversation, for they would still be our allies but not as close as they are.

Dwarves rather remind me of Aulë, or rather, Aulë as he was when we were kids and he delighted in my father’s inventions and took no personal role in the feud between our fathers, even though he was friends with mine. They are quite clearly his children in manner, though perhaps more loyal in the long run.

I will send word of any new plans as they develop.

Maitimo


End file.
